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iPhone/Cell Phone Water Damage Introduction Water damage can happen to anyone. Any liquid can wreck havoc on your electronics and potentially send them to an early watery grave. If your phone has taken a dive and doesn’t seem to be working, you’re probably wondering what your options are. If your manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t cover water damage and you don’t want to get a brand new Fire ... Coulee City WA 99115 device, it’s lucky that you’ve found uBreakiFix. We’ve got you covered. We can tell you everything you need to know about water damage and why you should rely on us to fix your iPhone, smartphone, tablet or even your laptop. Our water damage service is one of our most common repairs and we’ve been able to successfully return thousands of smartphones and tablets Coulee City WA 99115 to their anxious owners as good as new. This short guide will tell you everything you need to know about water damage and the consequences of leaving your phone unchecked after something happens. With that said, if your phone is currently in a bag of rice because of an altercation with water, time is of the essence. We offer a free diagnostics on all 12 Tips for Water Damage Repair Coulee City WA 99115 devices, which will tell you exactly the state of your device and an obligation-free quote detailing exactly what it will take to resuscitate it. To find your closest location, check out the list here. If you’re just browsing and all your devices are safe and sound, please read on! In this guide you will find everything you ever wanted to know about water damage Coulee City WA 99115 such as: What exactly is considered water damage? How is water damage repaired? What should I do if my phone is water damaged? and much more! Water Damage Sensors All smartphones have water damage sensors spread throughout the inside of them. The purpose of these sensors is to determine if water or any liquid has come in contact with the delicate hardware of the phone. Coulee City WA 99115 As an example, let’s look at the water damage sensors on the iPhone 6. However, water damage sensors function similarly in most devices. The water damage sensors in the iPhone are small adhesive pads that start out white, but turn irreversibly red or pink when exposed to dangerous levels of moisture. The sensors help technicians and providers determine if the iPhone was Coulee City WA 99115 exposed to liquid before or after it was manufactured. Usually warranties do not cover water damage so the presence of moisture or a tripped sensor will inhibit your ability to have the device serviced. The iPhone 6 contains 3 liquid damage indicators: One in the SIM tray, one on the logic board and one on the back of the LCD screen. The latter two Coulee City WA 99115 are only visible by taking the device apart. The internal water damage sensors are located on the logic board of the iPhone. If either of these sensors are tripped, it means that your device was fully or partially submersion for a pretty long time. The image below shows the visible upper sensor on the logic board of the iPhone 6. In the first Coulee City WA 99115 picture it is tripped and fully red and in the second picture it is white and untripped. Though Apple and other manufacturers may refuse warranty service if your water damage sensors are tripped, uBreakiFix take a look at it regardless of tripped water damage sensors. Damage Caused to an iPhone or Cell Phone by Water When a device comes into contact with water, Coulee City WA 99115 two major issues occur. The first is an electrical short circuit. This happens when electrical current is allowed to travel along an unplanned path. Below is an example of a simple circuit where a battery powers a lightbulb. A simple circuit where current travels correctly from the positive terminal of battery though a light bulb and back to the negative terminal Current travels from Coulee City WA 99115 the positive terminal of the battery through the light bulb and back to the negative terminal. The current from the positive terminal will look to reach the negative terminal as easily as possible. The only way to do this is through the light bulb which forces current through the filament in the bulb and produces light. Now, imagine a drop of water has fallen in Coulee City WA 99115 the circuit like the one shown below. A simple circuit where a short circuit caused by water does not allow the light bulb to function. A short circuit on a disposable camera flash Thanks to the water droplet, the current has found an easier or less resistive path from the positive terminal to the negative terminal. Water can be very conductive and Coulee City WA 99115 electric current always chooses the path of least resistance. In this situation, the current never reaches the light bulb and the circuit is shorted. iPhone logic boards have thousands of these complex circuits and even one droplet of water can have a massive effect your phone’s functionality. With thousands of possible short circuits, damage caused by water in an iPhone can be completely unpredictable. Coulee City WA 99115 It is often impossible to tell exactly what damage has been done on the phone without an in-depth diagnosis. Let’s look at some of the other consequences of a short circuit. Like we showed above, if the drop of water stays on the circuit for too long, the battery will drain and eventually die all together. Don’t believe me? Try connecting the positive and Coulee City WA 99115 negative terminals of a battery together. The battery will begin to get hot as it quickly discharges and eventually reaches a state where it cannot recharge. This is a very common issue in water damaged phones and if left unchecked, the lithium ion battery found in the device can be irreversibly damaged. Other parts that commonly short out are charge ports, flex cables and mechanical Coulee City WA 99115 buttons. The second issue that plagues a water damaged cell phone is one that you can’t detect right away. As the water in the device begins to evaporate and the phone dries out, small particles that were in the water get left behind. This leaves small deposits of residue behind on the hardware and will quickly cause corrosion. This residue and corrosion blocks important Coulee City WA 99115 connections and creates unwanted new current paths. What’s worse is the corrosion can spread and affect other functions of the phone. On water-damage cleanings, uBreakiFix uses a proprietary process to stop corrosion build-up and remove residue. Below you can see some images of corrosion and residue build up on some critical connectors on the iPhone 6 logic board. Fatal corrosion build-up on the proximity sensor Coulee City WA 99115 connector on the iPhone 6 logic board. What To Do if your Cell Phone is Water Damaged Water damage can happen to anyone but knowing what to do when it happens will keep you from making any damage worse. Try to remember the following steps if your phone is exposed to water: PLEASE not attempt to turn it on! Resist all urges! This Coulee City WA 99115 one move can cause short circuits when current is pushed through the phone while it’s still wet. To stop the flow of current, it would be ideal to remove the battery as quickly as possible, but since most batteries are internally placed on most smartphone models, most users can’t do this. Bring the water damaged device to uBreakiFix for a free water damage diagnostic as Coulee City WA 99115 soon as possible. The sooner we receive the phone, the better our chances of fixing it. Starting the cleaning process before the residue deposits begin to form will stop corrosion before it starts. Our Process There are two steps in our water damage repair process. We’ll first open the device up and investigate the extent of the damage. Since turning the device on is Coulee City WA 99115 a big no-no (see above), we won’t put your device at risk and verify full functionality until we know what we’re working with. Once we see what shape the main boards are in, we’ll give you a detailed repair quote and you can then decide whether or not to move forward with the repair. The next step would be to put the board through Coulee City WA 99115 our proprietary cleaning process. This process is excellent at removing residue and corrosion, even at microscopic levels. After that, we can replace any parts that we weren’t able to save. These parts commonly include the battery, dock connectors, flex cables, the mechanical button flex cables, the proximity sensors, the ear speakers, microphones, loudspeaker, and display assemblies. The main board is the one part of Coulee City WA 99115 most cell phones that cannot be replaced at a reasonable cost. If this part is irreversibly damaged, it would not be in your best interest to move forward with the repair. Once the device is fully repaired, it is returned to you and all parts that we replaced are covered under our warranty for 90-days. If any water related issues reappear in that Coulee City WA 99115 time, we’ll do right by our work. February 11, 2014 Liquid damage to a smartphone is a stressful experience, that often leaves smartphone owners feeling helpless. As a smartphone technician, I have seen liquid damage ranging from water(including salt water) to cans of Pepsi. Though the most important step is to get your phone to your local uBreakiFix, there are steps in the interim that Coulee City WA 99115 can help prevent the damage from becoming any worse while you are on your way to uBreakiFix Winter Park! 1. Don’t turn it on. If the phone shuts itself off, you shouldn’t tempt fate by turning it on right after the incident. Pushing electricity through the phone, can further irritate any existing damage. It is the absolute worst thing you can do. 2. Don’t plug Coulee City WA 99115 it in. This is the worst thing you can do after a phone has been liquid damaged. You are forcing electricity into an electronic device that has liquid still inside. It’s like the old cartoons where they are in a bath tub of water and a plugged-in hair dryer or toaster falls in which then fries the cartoon guy. It might be funny on the Coulee City WA 99115 show, but not for your expensive phone. 3. Remove the battery. There are some smartphones where you can remove the battery cover and the battery itself. If its possible on your phone, you should do it until you are able to do the next step: 4. Take it to uBreakiFix Winter Park! I have fixed phones that went through a full wash cycle and it Coulee City WA 99115 was dripping wet. Sometimes, a full cleaning will not be enough, and we will have to replace parts. Even if certain components need replacing, it will less expensive than a new phone, and will allow you to retain your original phone and data. Please remember that time is very important when something like this happens. If you wait too long, then corrosion will build on Coulee City WA 99115 your mother board and it can do massive permanent damage. Salt water one of the worst things that can happen to electronics as the corrosion builds twice as fast as any other type of liquid. Hopefully, the next time something like this happens to your phone, you can take a deep breath and remember these steps. October 07, 2013 The Jacuzzi, the toilet, the beach, Coulee City WA 99115 a coffee mug-we’ve heard it all. If you’re phone is still working then you’re safe- for now. Here are some tips regardless of whether your phone is turning on after this scarring incident. 1. If it’s off…leave it off. If it’s on…turn it off. We know it may be inconvenient to turn your cell phone off in the middle of the day when you need Coulee City WA 99115 it the most, but taking these measures for a few hours will save not only your money, but your valuable data as well! 2. Put the device into a bag of rice. The old “rice in a bag” trick- uncooked rice has natural absorbent qualities and if you don’t have the tools readily available to open the phone and dry from the inside, then this bag of Coulee City WA 99115 rice will be your best bet to at least absorb some excess water. After a few days in the rice the liquid water should have dried up, however, the corrosion the water caused is still present and should be taken in for water damage scrubbing to clean off the corrosion. 3. DO NOT PLUG INTO CHARGER It’s bad enough if your phone was on when the water Coulee City WA 99115 infiltration occurred,don’t add juice to the battery until you have done step 2 or more preferably until you have dried off the inner workings of the device. For best results, after step 2, the phone should be properly checked and cleaned of corrosion professionally. 4. Back up your device ASAP Even if you have done all of the above, the water damage could take hours, Coulee City WA 99115 days, or even weeks to noticeably affect your phone. The rice can’t save all those vacation photos or funny looks your cat was giving you. The bottom line is, if your phone has come into contact with water, or liquid in general, the best thing you can do is make sure your phone is powered off, get into a plastic bag filled with uncooked rice, and Coulee City WA 99115 visit the uBreakiFix location near you! We have cultivated a unique drying out process and have saved many phones as a result. Give uBreakiFix a visit for all your water damage needs! August 26, 2013 Over the years, cell phones have become more and more expensive with the rise of waterproof smartphones . How it might have been safe in the past to jokingly push Coulee City WA 99115 a friend in the pool, their phone would say otherwise now. Electronics have advanced to becoming all in one devices. We rely heavily on these all-in-ones for communication, taking photos, emails, browsing the web; basically everything. We keep entire photo albums all in one place, and don’t even second guess the possibility of losing absolutely everything in one splash. Considering the amount of birthday parties Coulee City WA 99115 around swimming pools, vacations near water fronts and typical kitchen mishaps, water damaging your iPhone or smartphone is bound to happen for some. If there’s a problem, then there is a market to fix that problem. Case makers such as Otterbox and LifeProof have developed specific cases to help prevent these issues. The “waterproof” cases even promote the use of submerging your phone under water. Coulee City WA 99115 There goes the worry of losing those precious pictures of a family get together or birthday party. No more hesitation to take your phone with you on the trip to the beach. With this advantage also comes the possibility of user error. The manufacturer of the cases can only do so much to design a waterproof case, offer instructions on how to attach the case Coulee City WA 99115 to your device and expect the customer to read said instructions prior to installation. It relies on the person who is installing the case to know the limitations of this case. How deep does the case allow your phone to go before it risks the possibility of water leaking inside? Is the case installed well enough to test? If you happen to test the case Coulee City WA 99115 for the first time and experience a manufacture defect, then what? Much is to be considered on the contrast of protecting your phone in a waterproof casing. Not everyone likes the fit of a case on their sleek new phone they just dished out all their hard earned money on. Smartphone makers such as Samsung and Sony are attempting to answer the call for a Coulee City WA 99115 durable phone when it comes to liquid damage. This introduces the potential to eliminate the opportunity of user error from a waterproof case, right? Not necessarily. One of the better known devices among a waterproof smartphone is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. The S4 active is marketed to be a rugged device that is waterproof, dustproof, drop proof; basically an all around sturdy device leaving Coulee City WA 99115 an extra protective case for the phone unnecessary. Another device making an entry into the same waterproof market is the Sony Xperia Z. Unlike the S4 active, the Sony Xperia Z is marketed only to be waterproof and dustproof. Sony has claimed that the Xperia Z can remain fully submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. While the S4 Active doesn’t have claims to Coulee City WA 99115 keep your phone under water for long periods of time, it does offer camera options for underwater pictures. Aqua, which is a new mode in the Galaxy S4 Active camera that is specific for your phone to take pictures while underwater, this mode can currently only be found on the S4 Active. Purchasing a waterproof phone provokes the thought, do you want to push your Coulee City WA 99115 expensive device to the limit? How far do you want to push the capabilities of the resistance this phone has to water? From personal experience, here at uBreakiFix, we have already had plenty of customers who have not only water damaged their S4 Active phone, but also shattered the glass on the front display. Obviously when the glass display becomes damaged, it compromises the ability Coulee City WA 99115 of the phone remaining waterproof. However, most of the S4 Active’s that were water damaged had no damage to the front glass. How these became water damaged isn’t entirely known. User error, manufacturers defect; it’s hard to say exactly per case. Our experience isn’t alone. Managers and employees of AT&T have also told us many stories regarding customers water damaging the S4 Active within days Coulee City WA 99115 of owning the device. Clearly when customers purchase this device, they plan to put it to use and test the boundaries of it’s protection against water. The question to consumers, smartphone makers, and casemakers will remain; is this the future of smartphone technology? Will this be a trend that is here to stay and become just another staple to what is already an obvious option Coulee City WA 99115 among popular brands of smartphones? Or is this simply a fad that will die off? Weigh your options, consider your choices, or keep your phone out of the risk of water damage in the first place. Please let us know what you think in the comments below and stay dry! August 12, 2013 Stop for a moment and think, is there anyone you know without Coulee City WA 99115 a cell phone these days? The truth is, it’s quite rare to find someone without this “additional limb” nowadays. So we all share a similar experience in having invested our hard earned money into these much needed devices, but what happens when they malfunction or break? Cell phone insurance used to be the normal way of things for many of us, but what are we Coulee City WA 99115 really getting when an insurance claim sends a replacement phone our way? You get the familiar question, to repair or to refurbish? There used to be one option, if something with your phone stopped working, or if you accidentally dropped it, you would file an insurance claim, wait for a refurbished phone, and cross your fingers that it worked the way it should. The other Coulee City WA 99115 choice was not really a viable financial option for the general public- you could pay full price for a brand new phone and have confidence that it would perform at manufacturer’s standards. It was as though we were living in the Dark Ages of cell phone repair, most us did not really know how they worked, and we did our best to protect them with Coulee City WA 99115 bulky cases and belt clips. But then a new age approached, people were figuring out how to fix what was broken on these devices, thus preserving the rest of the phone’s functionality and extending their life! A shattered screen no longer meant long wait for a replacement phone to come in the mail, or even a pretty serious dent to your bank account. Repairs could Coulee City WA 99115 be done for a reasonable price in an even more reasonable amount of time. Cell phone repair presents the ability for many of a phone’s parts and components to be fixed, while maintaining the quality of the parts that remain intact. Cell phone insurance is becoming more and more fickle as to what it will cover, and the premiums continue to rise in a tighter Coulee City WA 99115 than ever economy, where cell phone insurance may seem to be more frivolous than necessary. There is an element of inconvenience when waiting for a cell phone replacement as well, there is a waiting game. Though specific to the carrier and the model of the phone being replaced, the time lapse between filing a claim and receiving the replacement phone could be several days to Coulee City WA 99115 a week or more. Most of us cannot afford to be without a cell phone for an extended amount of time, because we store important elements of our day to day to lives on them. Having your phone repaired generally puts you in a position of having your phone back that same day, while allowing you to keep the phone you have come to know Coulee City WA 99115 and love as well as other important elements such as data and contact information. While there is no umbrella solution to every cell phone and its specific needs, bringing your phone in for repair does offer a fast, yet quality and affordable solution for many people. If you have an injured cell phone, and you are unsure what the best option for you might be, Coulee City WA 99115 you can always stop by your local uBreakiFix to take advantage of our free diagnostics, and make the most informed decision. May 06, 2013 Boulder prides itself on being a community oriented city. It’s a place where outdoor recreation meets intellectual stimulation- and what a beautiful pairing it is! The citizens of Boulder are proud to say they live there, and they are constantly Coulee City WA 99115 working to integrate people and businesses together in one happy, high functioning place. uBreakiFix instantly knew that Boulder was a good place to put some roots down, a place where we were not just conducting business transactions, but working alongside Boulder residents to help the city flourish and prosper. We’ve added Boulder to our list of places we call home! It’s for these reasons, Coulee City WA 99115 uBreakiFix Boulder is so excited to announce we will be taking part in the annual Boulder Startup Week! This is an awesome week dedicated to introducing new and emerging startups to each other, as well as the good people of Boulder. Boulder is an especially exciting place for this event to happen, as many “tech transplants” tend to move here, and it truly becoming a Coulee City WA 99115 hotbed of technological thought and innovation. So if you want to talk technology, or you have some electronic devices you never knew could be repaired right down the street from you, come stop by our booth at Boulder Startup Week- we are so excited to meet you! No place like Boulder! April 16, 2013 You’re holding your phone, maybe near a sink full of dishes, Coulee City WA 99115 maybe it isn’t such a sunny day in Philadelphia, maybe you are walking along the banks of the Schuylkill River and your phone decides it’s warm enough to go for a quick dip- suddenly, your phone is dripping wet and your in panic mode. It happens to the best of us, and if your one of the many whose phone is now a little soggy, Coulee City WA 99115 there are a few things you should keep in mind. First and foremost, don’t let your panic take over and drop your phone in water again! Just kidding! But seriously, try not to let that happen. Once in the water is bad enough! Drop your cell phone in water? After removing your phone from the water, take a look at it to see if it Coulee City WA 99115 is still powered on, if it is NOT, leave it powered off and do not attempt to power back on as this could lead to further damage. If it is on, make sure to power it off as soon as possible. Electrical current running through the phone when it is wet and cause fatal short circuits and damage that can not be repaired. For this Coulee City WA 99115 reason, it is important to also remove the battery as soon as possible, and do not attempt to put it back in the phone until you are sure it is completely dry. Though it may be tempting to try to plug your phone in or power it on to check and see if it or is not working, this is something you should absolutely NOT Coulee City WA 99115 do. It is important to seek repair as soon as possible in the event of a water damaged phone, but if for some reason this is not possible, try setting your phone in rice. This method will not reverse any damage that has already been done, however, it will begin the process of drying the phone out, and will certainly not harm it any further. Coulee City WA 99115 Dry rice- not only for throwing on people who were just married. Philadelphia, don’t let a wet cell phone, ruin your day. We here at uBreakiFix are dedicated to doing everything we can to make your water damaged phone as good as new, often in the same day! Come and let us take a look, we are located at 157 E. Swedesford Rd. Wayne, PA Coulee City WA 99115 19087.